Asphalt Paving Blog

Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement: How It's Environmentally Friendly

Reclaimed asphalt pavement refers to the asphalt pavement that has been removed and is either slated for recycling or has already been recycled. In most cases, the asphalt is removed using a planer, loaded up into a milling machine for grinding into smaller pieces, and then sent for recycling in the form of millings. Said millings are often heated up either on-site or at reclamation facilities so that their constituent materials can be blended and sometimes mixed with other ingredients. Virgin asphalt is one potential ingredient, but reclaimed asphalt can also be blended with other recycled materials such as tire rubber and roof shingles.

How Using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Benefits the Environment

Choosing to use reclaimed asphalt over virgin asphalt can provide you with a range of potential benefits, including those that help out the environment. First, the price of virgin asphalt has been rising in recent times because asphalt is made using heavier fractions of oil, meaning that reclaiming and then reusing the asphalt make for a cheaper alternative. Second, the process of reclaiming and then reusing asphalt not only produces fewer harmful emissions compared to laying down virgin asphalt, but it is also cheaper because the process is often simpler and less extensive. As a result, using reclaimed asphalt is cheaper and more beneficial for the environment compared to using virgin asphalt from start to finish.

Conclusion

For more information about either reclaimed asphalt or our asphalt-related services in Atlanta, please do not hesitate to contact us.